


Red

by Pearpie13



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Fluff, M/M, One Shot Collection, Smut, also im trying to make it so at least one has a happy ending ooPS, but only in certain chapters, these might all connect in some way idk yet but if anything just know theyre in the same universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-20
Updated: 2013-07-31
Packaged: 2017-12-20 19:49:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/891159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pearpie13/pseuds/Pearpie13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>series of e/R oneshots based off of Taylor Swift's album 'Red'.</p><p>each chapter is based off of two lines from each song on the album.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. State Of Grace

**Author's Note:**

> "So you were never a saint, and I loved in shades of wrong. We learned to live with the pain, mosaic broken hearts."  
> "These are the hands of fate; You're my Achilles heel."

**_ \- "So you were never a saint, and I loved in shades of wrong. We learned to live with the pain; mosaic broken hearts." _ **

"Seriously, Enj, _again_?"

Enjolras sighed into the phone, which was tucked snuggly between his ear and shoulder, as he typed an essay on his laptop, which rested on his lap.

"Yes, Courfeyrac, I'm serious. I  _ warned _  you and Combeferre, I don't do well with dating."

"Well, yeah, we knew that, but you seriously  _dumped the poor dude's drink on him_?"

Enjolras scoffed. "Yes. But, he was asking for it! We were barely half an hour into the date, and he had the nerve to ask  _ 'your place or mine?' _ !"

He heard his friend sigh deeply into the phone.

"Enjolras, seriously, I say this because I care about you- you need to  at least  _get laid_ ,  and you can't do that if you're dumping drinks on people."

Enjolras scrunched his nose up in frustration, erasing the previous sentence he had typed before he responded to his friend.

"I do  not  need to 'get laid'. What I  need  to do is finish this godforsaken essay that's due tomorrow. So."

Another sigh from the other end of the line. "Alright, asshole. Are you still up for movie night tomorrow at Jehan's, though?" Enjolras paused his typing, and moved his phone from his right shoulder to the other.

"Yeah, yeah. What time, again?"

"8 o'clock. I'll pick you up a bit earlier than that. 'Night, Enj."

"Goodnight."

Enjolras hung up the phone, and set it down on the sofa cushion next to him. He went back to typing his essay, and soon felt his eyes getting heavy with sleep.

xx

A few hours later, Enjolras was jolted awake by the insistent vibrations of his cell phone. He groggily sat up, and realized he had fallen asleep on the couch, with his laptop still on. He blearily reached for his phone, which had fallen to the ground in his sleep, and sighed. He swiped his thumb across the answer button, and brought the device to his ear. "Grantaire?"

"Apollo, I have a favor to ask."

Enjolras glanced at the clock on his apartment wall, and licked his lips. "It's three in the morning. What kind of favor would you possibly want?"

Grantaire giggled into the phone, and Enjolras's tired mind finally registered that the other man was drunk- or, at least, well on his way. "Well, as you know, I do not have a car, currently, seeing as 'Ponine borrowed it to go visit her brother and sister this afternoon."

Enjolras sighed. "You need a ride back to your apartment? Couldn't you have woken up Feuilly? He lives with you, for Christ's sake."

"Well, yes, dear Apollo, I could have, but the only face I can stand seeing right now would be that of a Greek god. That's where you come in."

Enjolras felt his cheeks heat up, and cleared his throat quickly. "Grantaire, how many times have I told you to  stop  with the ridiculous nickname. It's..."  _ endearing, and that's the last thing I need to think about something you do,  _ _thought Enjolras._ ".. ridiculous. And embarrassing." he finished lamely. He heard the phone shift, as if Grantaire was adjusting the way he was holding it, and then he heard the other man's hearty laugh.

"Oh, my sincerest apologies! Wouldn't want to embarrass you, now would I?" Enjolras let out an annoyed little huff, rubbed his eye, and stood from the couch.

"Alright, where are you?"

"I'm not sure exactly what the name is, but I'm at the little rundown place a few blocks from the Musain."

Enjolras quickly recalls the directions to the shady little establishment, the one that, he recalls, he's had to rescue his most irresponsible friend from before. "Alright. I'll be there in 10 minutes.  _Don't do anything stupid_. "

"Apollo, I would  _never_."

xx

When Enjolras pulls up to the bar, the first thing he notices is that Grantaire isn't alone; he's chatting with a stranger, one who seems to be interested in him. The man is leaning over Grantaire, who's resting against the bar's front wall. He has one hand outstretched, resting next to Grantaire's head, and the other's in his pocket. Enjolras feels a slight heaviness in his chest at the sight of someone else so close to Grantaire, but quickly brushes it off as fatigue.

He feels the heaviness drop from his chest to his stomach when his eyes connect with Grantaire's icy blue ones. Even from his seat in the car, he can feel the sharpness of Grantaire's gaze shining through the drunken glaze that his eyes tend to develop when the man goes out drinking. Grantaire quickly excuses himself from the man, ducking under his arm to make his way to Enjolras's car. The man watches him leave with a disgruntled expression, which Enjolras ignores in favor of looking at the man now getting into his passenger seat.

"Well, Apollo, are we leaving?" Grantaire inquires, eyes locked straight ahead, as if he doesn't want to look at Enjolras or the man he just left. Enjolras quietly steps on the car's accelerator, and they drive in silence for a few moments before Enjolras licks his lips, then opens his mouth.

"Who was that?"

Grantaire finally blinks, and turns his head towards Enjolras. "Why?"

Enjolras knows Grantaire's watching him, so he tries to shrug as nonchalantly as possible, his eyes now locked straight ahead at the road. Grantaire gives him a wary look, then turns to look out the passenger window.

"He's just some guy. He was trying to get me to go home with him."

"And you didn't?" Enjolras asked, surprised that Grantaire hadn't taken the stranger up on his offer. After all, he was usually the friend that ended up going home with a stranger on their nights out, only to return to this apartment the next day, hungover and well-fucked.

"Why would I? When I have a reincarnated Greek god who's willing to pick me up, why would I even think about going home with some lesser being?" And there's the cocky grin, the sarcastic tone that Enjolras had grown used to hearing from the man.

Enjolras blinked, cleared his throat, then tried to form a dignified response to such a statement. "...I see." It was then that he realized that he had failed to ask Grantaire an important question. "Do you even have the key to your apartment?"

Grantaire seemed to think for a moment, then quickly pat his pockets. He bit his bottom lip, and looked at Enjolras. "What would you say if I told you that, in fact, I do  _ not _ ?"

Enjolras sighed. "Feuilly sleeps like a goddamn rock, there's no way you're going to be able to wake him up by knocking." He thought for a moment, then glanced at Grantaire quickly before returning his attention to the road. "I guess you could stay with me for the night?"

Grantaire's expression turned from one of drunken indifference to one of complete surprise and shock. "Really?" Enjolras shrugged.

"I don't see why not. As long as you don't mind sleeping on the couch." Grantaire laughed.

"Of course not, Apollo."

"Stop  calling me that. "

"As you wish. Anyways, how was your date, earlier? I presume it didn't go over too well, or else you probably wouldn't have answered your phone when I called."

Enjolras felt himself blush as he furrowed his brow. "Why wouldn't I have answered?"

"If it went well, you would probably be busy getting fucked into the mattress by the dude, and wouldn't have thought twice about ignoring a call from me."

"I would never ignore a call from you." Enjolras says quietly, and Grantaire smiles cynically before questioning Enjolras once more.

"So, details?"

Enjolras laughs at how much Grantaire sounds like Courferyac did hours before, then begins describing his night.

xx

  
"Well, he sounds a bit like the guy I just had to fend off." Grantaire says once Enjolras finishes, and he chuckles when he realizes that Grantaire was right.

"Too many people- like that guy I had to deal with tonight- just want sex, and not enough want something more, in my opinion. That's why I don't waste my time with relationships, to be honest. There's no point if they won't last." Enjolras says, shrugging as he turns into the parking space in front of his apartment.

Once he puts the car in park, he looks over to see that Grantaire is staring at him.

"You mean, you actually  _want_   a relationship?"

Enjolras furrows his brow, and responds "Yes?" as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Grantaire looks at him once again, and Enjolras watches his eyes drop to what he thinks are his lips, but that could just be his mind making things up.

"I always figured you didn't want one, 'cause you're so busy with school and all your 'changing the world' shit." Grantaire replies, his eyes questioning. Enjolras finds himself silently staring into the blue orbs, getting lost in their depth, even if they're a bit cloudy from alcohol.  He takes a deep breath, and Grantaire quickly pulls his gaze away from him. He swings open the passenger door, and gets out quickly, waiting for Enjolras to do the same, so the two can walk to the front door together.

When Enjolras goes to pull his key out, he feels Grantaire take his hand in his.

"Grantaire, wha-?"

Before he can finish, Grantaire's lips are on his, and  oh holy hell , they  are  as soft as they look. Enjolras doesn't react quickly enough, though, and Grantaire senses the man's lack of reaction. He quickly pulls away, and drops Enjolras's hand as if it burned him to the touch.

" _Fuck,_   I- oh my god, Enjolras, _I'm so_ _ sorry _ , oh fuc-" He's quickly cut off though, by Enjolras's lips once again on his. This time, Enjolras slowly pulls away, leaving a few inches between his lips and Grantaire's.

"Grantaire, I really shouldn't find as much pleasure in kissing you as I do." Grantaire lets out a breathless chuckle, and the sound sends a sudden warmth through Enjolras's chest.

"I- I really never thought you would, uhm, even consider doing it." he responds, obviously at a lost for words. His eyes are searching Enjolras's, and he licks his lips. Enjolras watches the movement, and slowly leans in to peck the newly moistened lips once more before finally pulling the key out of his pocket, and unlocking the door. Grantaire watches Enjolras's movements, but doesn't follow the man into the apartment. Enjolras pauses in the doorway, and glances at Grantaire, who looks frozen into place on the doorstep, with a questioning look in his eyes.

"Why would you think that?"

"I just- jesus, Enjolras, I've wanted you for  _ so long _ , but I mean- I didn't think you would even want to give me a chance."

Enjolras turns fully to face him, then, and gently takes his hand in his.

"R, when I said I wanted someone who wants an actual relationship, I meant it. If the person who does just so happens to be someone who's one of my best friends, well, that's just an added bonus." He shrugs, a small smile creeping onto his face. "And, we might as well give it a try. Besides, now that I know what your lips taste like, I don't know if I could control myself around you."

Enjolras then drops his hand, and Grantaire watches him make his way into the apartment, and- after the other man throws a positively  _ sinful _  look over his shoulder towards him, he quickly stumbles into the apartment after him.

**_ -"These are the hands of fate; you're my Achilles heel." _ **

 


	2. Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Loving him is like driving a new Maserati down a dead end street- faster than the wind, passionate as sin, ended so suddenly."
> 
> "Touching him is like realizing all you've ever wanted was right there in front of you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh  
> um  
> yeah  
> lots of angst in this one, and a bit of smut???  
> also, it's long (for a oneshot) ((they won't all be this long))  
> jesus im sorry

_**-"Loving him is like driving a new Maserati down a dead-end street; faster than the wind, passionate as sin, ended so suddenly."** _

 Enjolras hates his friends, sometimes.

 Well, no. He doesn't hate  _them_. He hates the things they do,.

 Especially when that thing is arriving unannounced to his apartment at  _seven in the fucking morning_  on the first day of winter break.

 "Alright, Sleeping Beauty, time to get up!" Courfeyrac announces, slamming the door to Enjolras's bedroom open as Jehan follows him in, pulling the window curtains open with gusto. Enjolras slowly lifts his head from the pillow as the weak rays of morning sunlight hit his face, then glances at his bedside clock.

 "You've got to be kidding me." He mumbles, burying his face in his pillows once more. He squeezes his eyes shut, pulling his large, poofy comforter over his head as Combeferre walks in, leaning casually against the door frame as Courfeyrac and Jehan flop unceremoniously onto the bed, on top of Enjolras.

 "We know, we know, we're  _horrible_  excuses for human beings, why can't you sleep in on your first day of break, why do we suck. Well, Enj, we're here because we have some news for you that you might like to hear."

 Enjolras blearily picks his head up, and attempts to roll over, pushing his two friends off of him in the process. Jehan stretches himself out next to Enjolras, as Courfeyrac rolls too far to the side, and hits the bedroom floor with a loud _thump_.

 Enjolras chuckles sleepily over Courfeyrac's string of  _ow fuck goddamn_ , while Combeferre walks farther into the room.

 "So, 'Ferre,  _what_  could be so important that you idiots felt the need to wake me at an ungodly hour on my first day of break?" Enjolras asks, sitting up against his headboard. Courfeyrac pulls himself back onto the bed, lying across Jehan and Enjolras' laps as Combeferre sits at the foot of the bed.

 "Well, Mr. Valjean offered Cosette the use of their cabin for the week, since she did so well on her midterm-" Combeferre started. He was interrupted by Courfeyrac, who lifted his head from where it rested on Jehan's knees, and exclaimed, "And she invited all of us to stay with her!"

 "An entire week in a cabin with everyone?" Enjolras questions, raising an eyebrow at Combeferre. He nods, grinning, before a pillow soars towards the foot of the bed, nailing him right in the face as Jehan and Courfeyrac laugh. Enjolras burrows himself back into his blankets, while mumbling, "That was not worth waking me up this early, you assholes."

 Enjolras could practically hear the pout in Courfeyrac's voice when he responds. "Well, Mr. Grumpy Pants, if you don't want to come, you don't  _have_  to, I guess."

 "Even Grantaire's going, though, Enj." He raises a knowing eyebrow at his friend, and stands from the bed. "And we woke you up this early because we're leaving at noon."

 Enjolras shoots up from the bed, nearly knocking Jehan and Courfeyrac off the bed. "Why was there such a short notice?" He nearly shouts, pushing Courfeyrac off of his legs before practically jumping off the bed. He barely registers Courf's shout of dismay as he, once again, hits the floor as Enjolras rushes into the bathroom, swearing under his breath. The door closes with a loud  _thud_ , and his three friends remain quiet in the room as they listen to Enjolras struggle to turn the shower on while undressing himself.

 "You... you don't think he's suddenly interested because you mentioned Grantaire, right, guys?" Jehan asks, his eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. Courfeyrac laughs, pulling himself up into a standing position before making his way out of the bedroom to make some coffee. Combeferre chuckles, and tells Jehan, "Well, even you know that Enjolras can pack for a trip with less than an hour's notice, so we know he's not rushed for that reason." He stands from the bed, giving Jehan a look that says _'Grantaire is completely the reason Enjolras is interested'_  before following Courfeyrac down the hallway.

 Jehan sat on the bed, mouth open in astonishment before scrambling out of the bed to interrogate the other two men as to how they knew this before he did.

 xx

 Twenty minutes later, the four men are seated around Enjolras's living room, Courfeyrac braiding Jehan's hair as they both listen to Enjolras and Combeferre argue over some small matter regarding the trip.

 "How come Cosette didn't tell me sooner? Scratch that, how come  _you_  didn't tell me sooner?" Enjolras questions, hands clutching a warm mug of coffee, hair still damp from his shower. Combeferre sips his own coffee slowly before answering.

 "We wanted to surprise you."

 Enjolras snorts. "I should kill you."

 "You won't."

 "So, Enjolras, about why you're so suddenly keen on going- does this have anything to do with Gra-  _goddamn it_ , Courf, be careful!" Jehan shouted, a hand flying up to his head, where Courfeyrac was roughly pulling, trying to get the poet to just  _shut up_.

 "With what?" Enjolras asks, bringing his mug to his lips. Courfeyrac's eyes widen, and he quickly tries to cover up Jehan's straightforwardness.

 "With yo- your grades! With how you did on your midterms!" He exclaims, finally returning to _gently_ braiding Jehan's hair. The man, still disgruntled, snorts at the lame excuse.

 Enjolras raises an eyebrow skeptically. "I don't see how that has to do with anything about the trip." He gulps down the remainder of his now lukewarm coffee, and stands to put the mug in the kitchen sink. As soon as he steps into the small kitchen, Combeferre and Courfeyrac both quickly turn to Jehan.

  _"Don't say anything about it to him!"_  Courfeyrac hisses, not wanting to be heard by the blond man in the next room, who was now washing the coffee pot, oblivious to the gossip revolving around him between his three friends.

 "He doesn't know we know." Combeferre states quietly, then, after a moment, adds, "To be honest, I'm not even sure that  _he_  knows. He's kind of emotionally constipated."

 Enjolras returns to the room then, as Jehan chokes on air and Courfeyrac laughs heartily, returning his attention to finishing the braid he had started on.

 xx

 The four friends all left Enjolras's apartment around 11:20, managing to fit them all into Combeferre's small car. They quickly drive to Cosette's apartment, which she shares with Eponine, and are not at all alarmed to find that they're among the last ones to arrive. They all pile out of the car, and bring their bags into the house, which they enter without knocking.

 "The life of the party has arrived, you can all start celebrating!" Courfeyrac announces to the crowded living room, and is greeted by shouts and cheers, and the expected 'boo' from Bahorel, who grins as Courfeyrac punches him merrily in the shoulder.

 "About damn time!" Bossuet shouts.

 Cosette walks out of her bedroom, carrying a big, black duffel bag, and tosses it unceremoniously onto the large pile of luggage beside the couch, which some of their friends are occupying. "Now we're only waiting on Marius and Grantaire, so God knows if we're  _actually_  going to be leaving at noon, like we planned on."

 Feuilly chuckles from his spot in the large armchair in the corner of the room, and mumbles, "One's a drunk, and the other's hopeless with directions. We can only  _pray_  that they don't have to drive to the cabin together."

 Eponine whacks him playfully upside the head, and says, "Fuck no, do you really think Cosette would let Marius drive without her?" Cosette then sticks her tongue out at her best friend from  cross the room, who flips her off in response.

 Right then, the entrance to the apartment bursts open, giving way to a unusually cheery Grantaire, and a stressed-out looking Marius, who's eyes immediately search out Cosette, as if begging _"please don't make me drive with him oh my god"_ , and she grins in response.

 "Alright, now that everyone's finally here, can we go? I feel like we've been waiting  _forever_." Courfeyrac moans from his spot on the arm of the couch, and Joly looks at him with raised eyebrows.

 "You've only been here for, like, ten minutes."

 Courfeyrac grins at Joly, and responds, "Yeah, but in those ten minutes, I could've been ten minutes closer to  _vacation._ "

 Combeferre snorts from beside Courfeyrac, and rolls his eyes.

 "Alright then, why don't we head on out?" Marius suggests, and he's met with a chorus of agreement before they all start to collect their bags, making their way towards the door.

 xx

 Enjolras doesn't know who decided the riding situations, but whoever it was, he simultaneously wants to smack across the face, and kiss and give them eternal thanks.

 He's currently sitting in the backseat, with Courfeyrac driving, Jehan in the passenger seat, and Grantaire beside him.

 About two hours into the four hour ride, Grantaire fell asleep (after making a few of his trademark snarky comments, of course), and- as it just so happens- fell asleep while _leaning on Enjolras_.

 Which Enjolras doesn't mind.

 But he  _does_  mind all of the pictures Jehan is taking and sending to their friends who are in separate cars.

  _"Goddamn it, Jehan, I will break your phone."_ he hisses through clenched teeth. He takes a deep breath, not wanting to wake up the man asleep on him. Jehan just smirks knowingly as he takes one final picture, turning around in his seat to try and show Courfeyrac the pictures, who responds with  _'yes I know they're sickeningly adorable'_  and  _'Jehan I can't look I'm driving oh my god'_.

 Enjolras sighs, and turns to look out the window.

 After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Jehan turns the radio on, and immediately starts a duet with Courfeyrac along to the newest Top 40 song that's been playing incessantly for the past week.

 Enjolras smiles and chuckles at the pair, and immediately freezes when he hears Grantaire sigh against his shoulder.

_"Enjolras."_

 He blinks once, looking to see if either of the men in the front had heard which, apparently, they didn't. He then turns to the man sleeping on his shoulder, who lifts his chin and nuzzles his nose into the crook of Enjolras's neck, who gasps sharply at the tickling sensation that Grantaire's curls cause against his jawline.

 Enjolras sits through the rest of the car ride without moving, trying not to wake up Grantaire, deeply in thought.

 xx

 Once they all arrived safely at the cabin (well, mostly safely- Marius had almost caused Bahorel to crash the car, what with his constant stream of comments from the backseat; Cosette finally got him to shut up when she threatened to gran the wheel from her spot in the passenger seat and veer them off the road into a ditch), everyone spent a few hours unpacking and relaxing. When Enjolras woke Grantaire up from his nap, he smiled at the other man's apologizes, and assured him that "it was fine, really", and Grantaire got out of the car, his entire face the approximate color of a tomato out of sheer embarrassment.

 And it was completely expected that  _every single one_  of their friends had mocked Enjolras for the pictures that Jehan had sent them all.

 Enjolras ignored them, and calmly reminded himself that he had an entire week to wreck havoc against the poet.

 After everyone had seemingly forgot about the mishap, they all ate and enjoyed dinner, laughing and talking about everything that had happened on the way to the cabin. Throughout dinner, though, Enjolras could barely think straight. All he could think about was the way Grantaire had sounded when he basically moaned Enjolras's name in his sleep. He was startled, then, by everyone standing up and putting their plates in the kitchen, and someone- he assumes it's Bossuet- yelling "It's time for a bonfire!". He blinks twice, hard, and picks his plate up, following Marius and Eponine into the kitchen.

 Soon, a fire is blazing in the bonfire pit in the backyard of the cabin, and everyone is once again keeping amused by doing their own thing. Enjolras sat, entranced by the fire, before he's startled out of his reverie by someone sitting next to him. He turns his head slightly to see that it was Grantaire, who was clutching a bottle of some kind of alcohol, wearing his usual grin.

 "Apollo, you've been awfully quiet tonight. Aren't you going to lecture me about how much alcohol I've consumed already? Usually you'd be trying to hide the beer from me, at this point." Grantaire says, taking a swig of the dark brown bottle he held. Enjolras watched the way his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, then lifted his eyes to met Grantaire's bright blue ones.

 "I'm not in the mood tonight, R," is all Enjolras responds with, turning his attention back to the fire, "I've been awake since seven, and, to be quite honest, I'd like to go to bed."

 Grantaire snorts. "Of course you're going to be the first one to go to bed. Well, Apollo, I can accompany you, if you'd like." He winked at Enjolras with this, and stood, offering his hand to him.

 Enjolras blanched.  _What did Grantaire want? What the fuck is he offering?_

 Without thinking, he accepted the offered hand, and was dragged back to the house by the artist, who was clearly buzzed on some level because of the alcohol he had drank.

 He tried his best to ignore the catcalls that followed them from some of their friends, but it was hard to ignore the way that Grantaire was gripping his hand as he shoved the door open, pulling Enjolras through it in a rush.

 "Grantaire, wha-?" Enjolras starts, but Grantaire only grins, pulling Enjolras towards his room with a devilish grin.

 Suddenly, Enjolras isn't as tired as he was a few minutes ago.

 When they enter the room, Grantaire closes the door, and immediately turns towards Enjolras.

 "Ok, seriously, R, what the fuck did you mean by-" He's interrupted by Grantaire's lips on his, and he moans as Grantaire pushes him harshly against the wall. He feels the artist's hand reach into his hair, and can taste the alcohol on his breath.

 He shouldn't be letting this happen.

 He shouldn't be wanting this to continue.

 To his own surprise, Enjolras shifts his legs apart, allowing Grantaire to slot his thigh between his. They both groan at the contact, and Enjolras throws his head back in pleasure, granting Grantaire access to the pale, smooth skin of his neck, which he immediately attacked with his mouth. Enjolras lifted his hands, burying them in Grantaire's inky curls, and tugged insistently. Grantaire brings his lips back to Enjolras's, and rolls his hips as he does so. This elicits a deep moan from Enjolras, who sucks Grantaire's bottom lip into his mouth, gently biting it. Grantaire growls deep in his throat, and allows Enjolras to push him towards the bed.

 "I don't know what the hell's come over you, but I definitely won't be the one to stop it." Enjolras mumbles into Grantaire's mouth as they land on the bed, lips immediately seeking each other once more. Grantaire laughs slightly as Enjolras adjusts them so that he's straddling Grantaire's hips, and moves his lips down to the other man's throat as he insistently rolls his hips into the other's.

 " _Fuck_ , Enjolras, I-  _oh my god_ ," Grantaire tries to get out, and Enjolras notices that he had used his proper name, instead of the ridiculous nickname he usually insists on. He sucks harder on Grantaire's Adam's apple, and grinds his hips down once more before snaking a hand down between the two of them, slipping it into Grantaire's pants to rub his cock through his boxers.

 "Oh my god, Enj, I-  _I love you_ \- I.." Grantaire starts, then stops himself once he feels Enjolras's movements slow, then stop completely. He removes his hands from Grantaire's pants, and pulls away from his throat.

 "I-  _what?_ " He asks, his face heating up.

_Did Grantaire just admit that he loves me?_

 Grantaire tries to take a steadying breath, and fails. " _Shit_ , Enjolras, I didn't, I didn't mean-"

 Enjolras sits back on his heels, staring down at the man beneath him. He can't tell what the feeling in his chest is; disappointment that he's claiming it's not true? Disgust at himself, for wanting it to be?

 He'd be damned if he knew.

 "I didn't mean it." Grantaire says quietly, eyes shining with an emotion Enjolras can't quite name, his voice sounding hollow and emotionless. "I- Why would I?"

 Enjolras opens his mouth, about to let Grantaire know that " _it doesn't matter if you don't mean it, but I think that I love you too_ " when the other man pushes on, as if a dam was opened in his mind, and he can't stop it.

 "Enjolras, I'm serious, just fucking forget it, I didn't mean it." Grantaire says, trying to push Enjolras off of him. He reluctantly moves himself off of the artist, who immediately curls in on himself. "Even if I did, it's not like it would fucking matter, because you're so goddamn  _dense_ , and I just-  _god_ , just forget it."

 Enjolras can feel his heart constricting with every word Grantaire says, his eyes burning with unshed tears. He stands from the bed.

 "Damn it, Grantaire. I just-  _you didn't need to fucking ruin this_."

 Grantaire raises his head to look at Enjolras, and notices the tears.

 "Ruin  _what_  exactly, Enjolras? What, did you just wanna- wanna fuck me, then pretend nothing happened? Did I ruin it by accidentally bringing  _fee_ _lings_ into it?" Grantaire scoffs. "I told you, I _didn't fucking mean it_."

 Enjolras clenches his hands into fists, and turns on his heel, tearing the door open and making his way to his own room, where he slams the door shut, and leans his back against it, sliding to the ground and bringing his knees to his chest so he can bury his face in them.

_'Why the fuck didn't I say it back?'_

 Enjolras knows that he feels something for the artist, and he's pretty sure that it could be love, but he isn't so sure anymore. Grantaire had always been there for him, always standing in the background of every major accomplishment he'd reached in the past three years of his life, always cheering him on, even if it's by tormenting him with his cynical comments during their meetings for the activist group Enjolras leads. He swallows heavily.

 He didn't notice Grantaire soon enough, and then- once he did- he didn't take advantage of it. And now everything was fucked up between the two of them.

 So much had happened so quickly, and it stressed Enjolras out, and before long he feels himself dozing off, tears drying on his face as he let the numbness of sleep take him away.

  ** _-"Touching him is like realizing all you've ever wanted was right there in front of you."_**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoops that was more angst than i originally planned  
> I hope that was ok, haha.  
> beeteedubs, I'm basically taking the two sentences from the songs, and basing the fics off of those- not the entire song. Sorry for any misunderstanding :p Comments/constructive criticisms are welcomed, as always!


	3. Treacherous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "And I'd do anything you say, if you say it with your hands."
> 
> "This path is reckless, this slope is treacherous, but I like it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aww look it's some fluff instead of angst for once!!!!

**_ -"I'll do anything you say, if you say it with your hands." _ **

**__ **

Enjolras had always had a thing for hands.

Something about them had always entranced him, and they were always the first thing he noticed about someone. His favorite thing to do, to be honest, would be holding someone's hand and studying it. However, Enjolras has found that most people don't like it when you take control of their hand for hours on end; they like being able to do things, and not having to sit there as you stare at their palms.

Good thing he has a friend like Grantaire, who's apparently willing to quietly sit and watch  tv  as Enjolras holds his hand in both of his, studying and memorizing it.

"Seriously, Apollo, I didn't think Greek gods could have flaws, but I guess they can. Yours is that you have a fuckin' weird fetish."

Enjolras blushed at his words, turning Grantaire's hand over in both of his, running his fingers over the callouses that covered the tips of Grantaire's fingers.

"It's not a _fetish_ ; it's just... an interest." He states, smiling at the paint that seems to permanently color the creases of Grantaire's palm. "Especially yours."

Grantaire cocked an eyebrow. "Oh? And why's that?"

Enjolras shrugged, rubbing his thumb in circles around the other man's palm. "Your hands just seem to tell a story, if that makes sense."

Grantaire grins at Enjolras, then leans back in his chair. "Tell me the story, then, Apollo. I'm intrigued about what my hands have to say."

Enjolras pursed his lips together, and swallowed quickly, eyes following the mindless patterns he was tracing on Grantaire's hand. "You- you use them a lot. You put a lot of passion into what you do."

Grantaire laughed, eyebrows raised, and immediately responded. "Passion?"

"Yeah," Enjolras replied, finally ceasing the tracing he was doing, but keeping his eyes on the hand in his lap, "the callouses, and the paint, and just, like, the general roughness of your hands; they make me think that you put quite a bit of hard work into the things you do."

Enjolras lifted his gaze, and saw that Grantaire was watching him. There was a strange expression in his eyes, and Enjolras had noticed that there was a softness to the usually cold and cynical gaze. Grantaire smiled weakly, and Enjolras tilted his head.

"Was I wrong?"

Grantaire chuckled, and moved his chair closer to  Enjolras's . "No, Apollo, it's just-" Grantaire sighed, running his free hand through his hair, "You're so strange, but in a good way. It's like you're, ah _fuck_ , I've forgotten the word-"

"Endearing?" Enjolras had finished for him, grinning. Grantaire nods, matching his grin, and chuckling.

"Yeah, endearing."

The two held eye contact for a moment, smiling at each other in a comfortable silence, before Grantaire broke it, glancing down at his hand, which Enjolras was still holding.

"Enj, can I- can I tell you something?"

Enjolras blinked, and nodded. "Of course, R. What's up?"

"It's just- I-" Grantaire started, sighing in annoyance when he realized that he couldn't put what he wanted to say into words. Enjolras smiled encouragingly at him, and Grantaire searched his eyes before taking a deep breath and removing his hand from  Enjolras's  grip. He slowly brought his hand up to  Enjolras's  face, and gently cupped his cheek, giving Enjolras a questioning look, as if to say _'is this_ _ ok _ _?'_.  Enjolras's  eyes fluttered shut, and he pushed his cheek into the warmth of the hand on his face.

Grantaire smiled softly, and leaned in until his lips were lightly touching Enjolras's.

After a few seconds, he pulled away, eyes opening slowly to reveal Enjolras's own already staring at him. He watched the other man lick his lips, lifting his hand to cover Grantaire's, where it rested on his cheek.

"R, I- I didn't know-" he started, but Grantaire hushed him once more with a gentle kiss. He felt Grantaire smile against his lips, and he couldn't help but smile in turn. When the other man pulled away, Enjolras immediately missed the warm sensation of  Grantaire's  lips on his.

"Was that  ok ? I mean, I know you don't exactly like relationships, and I- I don't have the best track record with them, but.." Grantaire started to pull away again, but Enjolras stops him by taking his face in both of his hands, and kissing him with enough force to convey what he wants to tell Grantaire, but without speaking.

_ ' Yes, of course. Please take me, I'm yours.' _

**_ -"This path is reckless, this slope is treacherous, but I like it." _ **

****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so I think it's like, every third song is happy, but the two before it are angst-y as fuck.  
> damn it Taylor Swift, this is all your fault for writing such depressing songs.  
> ah.  
> ok.  
> thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed, feel free to leave comments/kudos/bookmark, also visit me on tumblr (e-and-r) and once again, thank you!!!


	4. I Knew You Were Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I knew you were trouble when you walked in, so shame on me."
> 
> "I heard you've moved on, from whispers on the street; a new notch in your belt is all I'll ever be."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I only proofread this once, so please forgive any mistakes   
> also forgive me for all the angst ahfhhjlkfdjs im sorry

**_ \- "I knew you were trouble when you walked in, so shame on me." _ **

**__ **

Enjolras felt his grip on his glass tighten, knuckles turning white as he watched the familiar head of dark curls bob through the crowd on the dance floor, shooting grins and winks at random strangers as he made his way back to the bar where Enjolras stood with Combeferre.

"Who the hell does he think he is?" he questioned Combeferre, glaring daggers at Grantaire before picking up his glass- which was some strong, bitter tasting mixed drink that said man had ordered for him- and downing the rest of it in one gulp. Combeferre watched with a mixture of mild amusement and slight concern, sipping his own drink lightly. Enjolras set the now-empty glass down harshly on the bar, clearing his throat loudly before facing Combeferre once more.

"I'm gonna show that asshole who's better off. He think he can pull a stunt like this and make me feel jealous? Well, _joke's on him_." Enjolras declares, running a hand through his unruly curls, which stuck to his forehead with sweat, before making his way through the dance floor, grabbing the nearest stranger, and smirking at them, rolling his hips suggestively. The stranger raises his eyebrows, but is more than willing to dance with him.

Within minutes, he feels an insistent hand on his shoulder, pulling him back towards the direction he came from.  He whips his head quickly to the side, and isn't all that surprised to find that it's Grantaire, who glances at him with slight disdain before dragging him off towards the bar, where- Enjolras now notices- his other friends are beginning to gather. He quickly pulls himself out of Grantaire's grasp, and frowns at him, his vision blurring slightly because of the alcohol.

"What the _fuck_ do you think," he hiccups, "you're doing? I was having _fun._ " He says, spitting the last word out as if it's venom. Grantaire looks at him with very little expression in his eyes, sighing deeply before grabbing Enjolras's shoulder once more.

"Enjolras, you're drunk. You would never do this if you were sober. It's time to go home."

Enjolras pushes Grantaire's hand away again, with more force than before. " _Bullshit_. You just don't want me to have fun; you want to see me miserable."

Grantaire watched him with a pained expression. "Enjolras, you know that's not-"

"Oh, cut the crap, Grantaire! You know it's true! You wanted to fuck me over, then watch me suffer. Well, guess what? _I'm not letting you do that to me!_ " He yells, his voice rising with each word. Tears well up unexpectedly in his eyes, and he quickly rubs them away. He doesn't understand. His relationship with Grantaire was fine- they had been going steady for nearly three months, then one day, two weeks ago, the other man had come home drunk, and weeped as he confessed to Enjolras that he had slept with a stranger, and he was _'so sorry, he didn't mean anything, please forgive me'_. Enjolras had tried to forgive him, but then Grantaire had pulled the "maybe this isn't working out" card, breaking up with Enjolras a few days later.

Enjolras thought it was because of how guilty the man felt, but - a few days later, when he could hear him getting fucked from his room down the hall - he knew that wasn't the case.

Enjolras would never admit it, but he locked himself in his room, refusing to allow anyone in, and cried himself to sleep every night since that day.

' _But, today, that all changes_.' he told himself. ' _I'm over Grantaire, I can be my own person. I was stupid to ever trust him, I meant nothing to him._ '

Grantaire's looking at him now as if he'd been deeply wounded, and oh shit, Enjolras realizes that he had said his resolution aloud.

"Enjolras, I- I did- I do care about you. You mean everything to me, that's why I can't stand to see you with that, that stranger." Enjolras scoffs.

"You wouldn't have fucked that first stranger, let alone brought more people home after you broke my heart, _you asshole_ , if you loved me as much as you said you did." Enjolras claims, his blue eyes looking absolutely murderous, his tears now mixing with the sweat on his cheeks. He glares at Grantaire one last time before pushing past him, making his way towards the exit of the bar.

  
He didn't need to make Grantaire jealous, he realized. He needed to show him that he doesn't care, and that he didn't need him.

Just like Grantaire doesn't need him, and doesn't give two shits about him.

**_ \- "I heard you've moved on, from whispers on the street; a new notch in your belt is all I'll ever be." _ **

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *hugs you all* thank you for reading!!!!   
> next chapter will either be posted tomorrow or the next day! (also I'm thinking that the next chapter will be longer, so thats good!)  
> comments/concerns/thoughts are always appreciated! :)
> 
> e-and-r.tumblr.com


	5. All Too Well

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You tell me about you past, thinking your future was me."
> 
> "I'm a crumpled up piece of paper, lying here, 'cause I remember it all too well."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was originally going to be pure angst, and end with a fight, but I decided that even im not that heartless
> 
> so have some angst with some super heartwarming friendship
> 
> ***TRIGGER WARNING FOR MENTIONS OF ABUSE!!!!

**_ \- "You tell me about your past, thinking your future was me." _ **

**__ **

"How did it even start?"

Grantaire paused, his bottle of wine almost at his lips before he slowly set it back down onto the table.

"I- what?" He looked curiously at Enjolras, who was watching him intently from across the table in his small kitchen.

"The drinking. When did it start? I mean, there  must've  been a specific point in time when you realized it was getting out of hand."

Grantaire snorted. "I've always been a drinker, Apollo. It's in my blood."

Enjolras raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Grantaire shrugged in response. "It's kind of always been something that I've done. I don't remember when it got bad- it's just always been something I've done, I guess."

Enjolras tilted his head, resting his elbows on the table and leaning forward, waiting for the other man to continue. Grantaire sighed,  and shook his head.

"Sorry, Apollo, I'm not about to spill my soul for you." Enjolras chuckled.

"I'm not asking you to do that. I just want to know when this all started happening." He gestured to  Grantaire's  nearly empty bottle, and the other empty one that was lying on the table.

Grantaire blinked, then sipped his drink once more, taking his time before responding to Enjolras.

"Why the sudden interest?"

Enjolras pursed his lips together, shrugging nonchalantly. "Curious, is all. You're one of my best friends, and I feel like I hardly know you."

"That's because I'd prefer to let the past remain in the past, dearest Apollo. That's where it belongs, isn't it?"

"Well, yes, but sometimes the past is important. It's what shapes a person into who they are in the present, and it explains why they are the way they are. That's what I'd like to know; why are you the person you are today?" He responded smoothly, leaning back in his chair, tapping his fingers on the wooden table. Grantaire watched the movement of his fingers before gulping down the rest of his drink, setting the empty bottle onto the table before clearing his throat.

"It- it all started with my dad, I guess. He was - is - a bit of an asshole, I guess. Could drink the devil under the table, and used to hit my mother, back when I was in grade school."

Enjolras's  gaze softened, and he immediately responded, "I'm sorry, Grantaire."

Grantaire shrugged, trying to play off the fact that his hands were shaking. He placed his hands in his lap, and watched them as he continued. "It- it's alright. It's not your fault," he said, with a hollow chuckle, before continuing. "Anyways, my mother got fed up with it, one day, and she woke me up in the middle of the night one day, and we ran away. We stayed with my aunt for the majority of my high school career, because of that, and I didn't see my dad for the longest time- nearly 2 years, I think.

"Anyways, one day, the fall of my 11th grade, my dad showed up at the house. I got home from school, and walked in to find my mom and dad screaming at each other in the kitchen. I- my mom was clutching her face, and I noticed that her eye was swollen, and her nose was bleeding. I knew- _I knew_ it was that asshole's fault, and I kind of just, saw red. I slammed him against the wall - I don't even know _how_ , he's twice my size - and threatened to kill him if he laid another hand on my mom again. Needless to say, he  didn't take too kindly to that, so he went after me."

He heard Enjolras gasp sharply from the other side of the table, and he glances up to see that his ice blue eyes were watching him with a concerned gaze, unblinking. Grantaire closed his eyes before continuing.

"I- he beat me up pretty badly. I ended up in the hospital for about 2 days, with a broken rib, a concussion, and a fractured wrist." He laughs shakily, opening his eyes. "I  should've  seen it coming, to be honest. Anyways, once I was released, I just- I turned to alcohol. My mom kind of became a shell of what she used to be, and she refused to talk about what had happened. It was the only thing I could do without- without just _giving up_ , and just - _ending it all_."

Grantaire heard  Enjolras's  chair scrape against the wooden floor before he felt his strong arms wrap around him. He immediately wrapped his arms around the other man unconsciously, and realized that he had begun to cry while recounting his trauma. He felt a warm, rough hand rub his back soothingly, and he tried to ignore the  slightly uncomfortable position the two men were in- Grantaire sitting in his chair, and Enjolras kneeling next to it, leaning over to wrap Grantaire up in his arms. He buried his face into the crook of  Enjolras's  neck, and took a deep breath, trying to calm his tears and his shaking hands. Enjolras just squeezed him tighter, trying to console his friend.

"I'm glad you kept fighting, R. I don't- I don't know what I'd do without you." he heard him whisper against his hair, and he hiccupped.

"You- you'd get on just fine, Apollo, trust me-" he felt Enjolras pull away, and tried not to gasp when he felt the other man's hands grab the sides of his face, leaning in close to stare into  Grantaire's  eyes.

"Grantaire, I- I know that sometimes we fight, and that we may not agree on _anything_ , but you're still one of my best friends. I- I wouldn't be who I am today if it wasn't for you. I may not like your drinking, but if I had to choose between you drinking and you _existing_ , I would choose you  drinking  in a heartbeat." He leaned his forehead against  Grantaire's , and wiped away his tears with the pad of his thumb, his eyes still locked on  Grantaire's  dark blue ones.

"But, I- I'm such a piece of shit to you, Enj, I just... I'm worthless to you. I'm _useless_ , and _worthless_ , and- _fuck_ , I'm a sorry excuse for a human being."

"Don't ever think that you're worthless to me. You're so special, Grantaire, I just- fuck, I've never met anyone like you. I would _never_ want anything to happen to you."

Grantaire sobbed, bring his hands up to  cover Enjolras's , which still were resting on his cheeks. He whispered _'thank you'_ brokenly to the other man, who pulled him once again into a tight embrace.

"I'm always here for you, R, remember that. _Always_."

**_ \- "I'm a crumpled up piece of paper, lying here, 'cause I remember it all too well." _ **

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... yep.
> 
> next chapter is pure fluff, I promise.
> 
> comments/concerns/questions are always welcome!! thank you for reading! <3 
> 
> also feel free to follow me at e-and-r.tumblr.com


	6. 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It seems like one of those nights we ditch the whole scene, and end up dreaming instead of sleeping."
> 
> "Tonight's the night when we forget about the deadlines."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY FOR THE WAIT AHHHH
> 
> this is a nice, long fluff chapter just for you cuties. thank you for waiting, and for reading *u*

**_ \- "It seems like one of those nights we ditch the whole scene, and end up dreaming instead of sleeping." _ **

**__ **

Enjolras sighed, running a hand through his unruly hair before stealing a glance at the clock on the wall. He massaged the bridge of his nose when he realized that he had only been studying for 2 hours. He heard the door of his apartment slam open, and nearly jumped out of his chair before he watched Grantaire enter his living room, a barely contained grin breaking out across his face.

"Apollo! It's-" he glances at his wrist, as if he had a watch on, "10:15 on a Friday night! Is there a specific reason you're not coming with us to the bar tonight?" Grantaire plopped himself down onto the couch, stretching his arms above his head, exposing a small strip of skin on his stomach. Enjolras quickly tore his eyes from the sight, and turned back to his work.

"I don't know if you remember, but we have _midterms_ in  _two weeks_ . I'd like to cram in as much studying as I can before then, R." Enjolras forced himself to return his eyes to the page of his textbook, immediately highlighting a sentence in it. He could feel  Grantaire's  eyes on him, and tried to ignore it.

After a few moments of silence, he slammed his highlighter down onto his coffee table. "Damn it, Grantaire, aren't you going to go out with the others?"

Grantaire shrugged, scratching his ear absentmindedly. "I was going to, then Courfeyrac sent me here to try and convince you to come. Now I just don't feel like leaving, unless I'm accompanied by you." He grinned slyly, and Enjolras heaved an annoyed sigh before rubbing his eyes. He then glanced back at his notes, and realized that the last sentence he had written had been complete gibberish. Grantaire noticed the look of pure despair on Enjolras's face, and tried not to chuckle _too_ loudly.

"I really should take a break, shouldn't I?" Enjolras asked, capping his highlighter. Grantaire laughed, and nodded.

" That'd  probably be a good idea."

Enjolras closed his book, gathered his notebooks, and went to put them in his bedroom. "I don't really feel like going out and drinking, though.." he starts, waiting to continue until he returns to the living room, where Grantaire is now standing from the couch. "How long do you think we'll be gone?"

Grantaire looked at Enjolras with a strange emotion in his eyes, before saying, "You know, we don't have to meet everyone else at the bar."

Enjolras raised an eyebrow, eyeing Grantaire skeptically before grabbing his coat, slipping it on over his sweater. " _Grantaire_ , not wanting to go to the bar? Christ, this must be a first."

Grantaire snorted, making his way towards the door, Enjolras following close behind. "I do other things for enjoyment, too, Apollo. I just don't do them as often, because only drinking can bring me that feeling of joy and euphoria." He waved his hand dramatically, and Enjolras tried to hide his smile.

"Until you wake up the next morning, with a hangover from hell."

"Well, yes, until then. But, my point still stands. Drinking is fun, but so are other things."

"Well," Enjolras started, shoving his hands in his pockets and huffing out a breath, noticing how Grantaire watches the breath turn to fog, "what would you like to do, then?"

Grantaire takes a second to tear his eyes away from  Enjolras's  mouth, and quickly cleared his throat. "I know this nice little all-night diner a few blocks away, I bring  Gav  and  Azelma  there for breakfast sometimes when Eponine works." Grantaire shrugged shyly, and Enjolras smiled warmly at him.

"Sounds perfect. I could _kill_ for some hot chocolate, right about now." Grantaire smiles unsurely at him, and the two begin making their way to the small cafe. Grantaire feels his phone vibrate against his leg, and slides it out of his pocket before glancing at the screen. He had a text from Courfeyrac. He quickly opened it, and scanned the messages.

_ 'where the fuck are you guys?  'ferre  wont let me get shitfaced until  enjolras  shows up cause hes supposed to be the other dd' _

__

_ 'and i will not accept any response besides 'were fucking' or 'were on our way'' _

Grantaire choked on air, and nearly dropped his phone, stopping dead in his tracks. Enjolras continued walking for a few steps before he realized his companion had stopped, so he stopped, turned, and raised a curious eyebrow at the other man. Grantaire typed a quick reply _'goddamn it asshole were going to get hot coco fuck you'_ before inserting his phone back into his pocket and smiling at Enjolras.

"Just  Courf  being an idiot. Sorry." Enjolras laughed and shook his head.

"When is he _not_ being one?"

Grantaire laughed in agreement, and the two continued to the diner, falling into comfortable banter as they went.

xx

Once the two men arrived at the diner, Enjolras excused himself to use the bathroom as Grantaire claimed a booth for the two of them. He checked his phone once more, and wasn't surprised to see that he had missed quite a few texts from both Courfeyrac, Combeferre, and- surprisingly- Cosette and Eponine.

_ 'YOU ASSHOLE ugh  ok  I guess Ill just text you all night to take my mind off of the alcohol THAT I WONT BE CONSUMING CAUSE YOU AND YOUR FUCKING DICK WAD BOY TOY  DONT  WANT TO HAVE FUN' _

_ 'Courf  tells me you aren't coming back? Don't do anything stupid, then, and don't let Courfeyrac annoy you. Just ignore him.' _

__

_ 'R HOLY SHIT IF YOU LAY  ENJ  I BETTER BE THE FIRST ONE TO KNOW xx  Ep' _

__

_ 'Enjolras  is actually letting you drag him out of his apartment? wow. good job, young grasshopper.  dont  hurt yourselves, be careful  xox' _

Grantaire responded to all the messages with barely contained laughter, and his brow raised in a amused expression. As he sent off the final reply to Cosette,  Enjolras returned, sliding into the booth across from Grantaire.

"... Did I miss something?" Grantaire looked up from his phone to see Enjolras watching him with a smile, chuckling softly. Grantaire waved his phone at him, in  response.

"Just our friends being obnoxious. Courfeyrac said we're assholes for making him be designated driver for the night." he told him, with a grin. Enjolras threw his head back and laughed, and Grantaire found himself watching the way the man's Adam's apple moved with the sound. He smiled softly, laughing softly along with him. As the two fell back into a comfortable silence, a waitress arrived.

"Hello, boys,  what'll  it be for you two on this lovely night?" She winked, pulling out a small pad of paper and a pen. She smiled warmly at the two of them, and quickly wrote down their orders of two hot chocolates, then left them alone once more. Enjolras was the first to break the silence that followed.

"So, you _actually_ wanted to hang out with me tonight? I'm surprised." Enjolras said, grabbing a napkin from the dispenser on the edge of their table, so he had something to keep his hands busy.

"Of course I do. I always want to hang out with you." Grantaire immediately responded, then froze when he realized what he had said. Enjolras looked up from the napkin he was playing with, then licked his lips.

"Oh?"

Grantaire had never wanted to slam his head against a table as much as he did in that moment.

"Well, yeah; you're one of my best friends. We may fight sometimes, but, I mean, I would never pass up the chance to hang out with you. You're _awesome_ , Apollo." He smiled playfully at the blond man, and prayed to god that he was coming off as cool and collected. God knows that is the exact opposite of how he really felt.

He hoped that Enjolras didn't notice the way his hands were now shaking.

Enjolras raised his eyebrows before responding. "Oh, well.. I like hanging out with you, too." The two smiled at each other, and right then the kind waitress returned with their drinks.

xx

Enjolras didn't know what had come over him.

He immediately grabbed his hot chocolate when the waitress set it down, accepting it with a rushed 'thank you' before taking a long gulp, trying to calm his nerves. He usually was _never_ unsure about himself, let alone when he was with Grantaire. The two usually argued every night, and, when they weren't arguing, they were comfortable companions.

But, now? Now, he was trying hard not to stare at the other man's lips, and trying to not let Grantaire know how much he would like to lick off the small dab of whipped cream on the corner of his lips.

Good _god_.

Did he like Grantaire? Sure, they were friends, but had he unknowingly developed some deeper feelings for the other man?

He didn't think it was possible, but when he had  recieved  a text while in the bathroom from a very disgruntled Courfeyrac that read _'i hope you and_ _ grantaire _ _have fun on your fucking date while i sit here at a bar and proceed to NOT GET DRUNK'_ , with which he responded _'It's not a date.'_ , he suddenly wasn't so sure.

Now, sitting in the small booth with the other man, who kept smiling warmly at him and making small, fun comments, Enjolras was sure.

"I- is this a date?" He found himself asking, without thinking. He felt his face heat up as the words left his mouth, his hands shaking slightly as he set his mug down.

_'what the fuck is happening, i never get like this!_ '

Grantaire seemed to pause as he sipped his drink, processing  Enjolras's  question and forming an answer before setting his mug down gently before responding.

"Do you want it to be?"

Well _damn_ , that wasn't the answer Enjolras was looking for. He shrugged, licking his lips once more.

"I- I don't know. I think so?"

Grantaire shook his head, laughing slightly at him as he brought his drink to his lips again. "I'm not used to hearing the great Apollo speak so  uneloquently . It's a bit off-putting."

Enjolras felt himself pout a little before pursing his lips. "R, I'm serious."

Grantaire swallowed a gulp of his hot chocolate, watching Enjolras intently. Enjolras felt himself squirm slightly under the man's heavy gaze.

"Well, if you want it to be, then I guess it is." He smiled unsurely, as if asking for Enjolras to agree with him.

Enjolras huffed out a relieved laugh as he finished off his drink. "Thank god you said yes, or else the rest of the night would've been pretty awkward."

Grantaire barked out a laugh, and finished his drink soon afterwards.

xx

Once the two men had paid their bill, they made their way outside, suddenly unsure of where to go from there.

"I- Would you like to go for a walk? There's a park not too far from here."

Enjolras smiles in response, and the two make their way their.

After walking about a block, Grantaire feels his hand brush against Enjolras, and he feels his face heat up in a blush. He glances at the other man quickly, and sees that he's keeping his eyes fixed ahead, a small smile playing on his lips. Grantaire looks ahead, and pulls his bottom lip into his own mouth, nibbling on it in thought before he feels a soft, warm hand slip into his. He squeezes it without thinking, and hears Enjolras chuckle quietly. He smiles - to himself, mostly - and begins to swing their hands back and forth between the two of them as they neared the  entrance  of the park.

He felt like he was walking on air as Enjolras immediately dragged him towards the swings.

"Jesus, Apollo, swings? I thought we were _too mature_ for such childish things."

Enjolras snorted, releasing  Grantaire's  hand to run to the swing. "I also thought we were too mature to give up studying to go get hot chocolate and go to parks in the _dead of the night_ in _winter_ , but apparently not."

Grantaire shook his head, smiling so wide that he thought his face would split.

"I'm only doing this to satisfy your strange desires, you know." Enjolras swung his foot out as he dropped into the swing next to his, and laughed heartily. The sound warmed  Grantaire's  heart.

"You know you love my strange desires."

Grantaire pretended to stare off into the dark sky above them, a small smile betraying his indifferent air. "That I do, Apollo, that I do."

Enjolras smiled, and bit his lip, eyes following  Grantaire's  gaze towards the clear night sky. The two sat in silence for a few minutes before Enjolras cleared his throat. Grantaire immediately pulled his eyes away from the sky, and watched Enjolras with a strange expression.

"It's getting kind of late, maybe we should get back before the others freak out.." Enjolras started. Grantaire rose from his swing, in turn, and offered his hand to Enjolras, who accepted it with a smile. Grantaire pulled him to his feet, and Enjolras immediately noticed that the two of them were standing much closer than they usually do.

He licked his lips absentmindedly, and Grantaire laughed breathlessly. "You know, Apollo, your lips are going to get chapped because of how often you lick them." Enjolras grinned at him, and, without thinking, closed the gap between them.

He felt Grantaire freeze under his touch, and began to pull away, thinking 'oh shit, that's not what he wanted' when Grantaire surged forward, hands coming up to cup  Enjolras's  cheeks. His tongue poked at  Enjolras's  bottom lip, asking for permission, and  Enjolras's  mouth opened without much thought, and he moaned softly when he felt  Grantaire's  tongue enter his mouth, tasting vaguely of chocolate and something else, something that just  must've  been Grantaire.

Grantaire was the one to break the kiss, and pulled away slightly to laugh, eyes immediately searching  Enjolras's . Enjolras brought his hands up to cup  Grantaire's  against his cheeks, then he tugged them down, grasping his  ungloved  hands tightly in his own covered ones.

"I don't know, R, do they _feel_ like they're getting chapped?" Grantaire stared at him blankly for a second before bursting into laughter.

" _Jesus_ , Enj, you kiss me like that, then just make a remark like that? You're _unbelievable_." Enjolras smiled widely, and leaned in to press a quick peck to  Grantaire's  lips.

"But, really," he said, through small chuckles, "we should get going, before Courfeyrac begins to tell the others we were mugged, or kidnapped."

Grantaire grinned at him, and the two began the short walk back to  Enjolras's  apartment.

Right as they exited the park, Grantaire felt his phone vibrate against his leg. He reached into his pocket to draw it out, and laughed when he read the text, which - surprisingly - was from Combeferre.

_ 'Please, let me know when you'll be home. Or, at least, when you're bringing Enj back.  Courfeyrac's  convinced you  two've  been killed.' _

He showed the text to Enjolras, who laughed out loud, and took the phone from Grantaire.

_ 'We're safe and sound, and on our way back to the apartment as we speak. xx E' _

He returned the phone to Grantaire, who silently accepted his hand once more, holding his phone in the other hand. He felt it vibrate once more, and read the text.

__

_ '... Oh. Why are you on R's phone? You know what,  nevermind . I don't even wanna know. I'm just assuming you two are going to need an empty apartment when you get back.  Courf  and I will be at  Marius's  tonight, if you need us. We'll give you two your privacy.' _

__

Grantaire grinned at the phone, and - without showing Enjolras - replied,

_ 'some privacy would be nice, thanks  ferre . you know us too well. -R _ _ ' _

He slid the phone into his pocket, and smiled when he felt Enjolras squeeze his hand happily.

He can safely say that he's _very_ glad that Enjolras gave up study for the night, and prayed that he would be willing to sacrifice a few more hours so that the two of them could get to know each  other's  bodies a bit more, once they got back to  Enj's  apartment.

And from the look that Enjolras shot him when they approached his front door, he had a feeling that he was thinking the same thing.

**_ \- "Tonight's the night when we forget about the deadlines." _ **

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love writing courfeyrac, omg.   
> also i read through this once before posting, so MY APOLOGIZES FOR ANY ERRORS.  
> and, i would like to say that HOLY SHIT i write these two differently everytime i write them.  
> can you say ooc? jfc.  
> anyways, THANKS FOR READING!! FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A COMMENT/KUDOS/HUG OR KISS.  
> you're all amazing c:
> 
> e-and-r.tumblr.com

**Author's Note:**

> Well, this is my first fic that I've written for this fandom! Let me know what you think- constructive criticism and comments are always welcome. :) and I am aware that this may be a cheeseball idea but IT HAPPENED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND ONCE IT WAS IN MY MIND I COULDN'T GET RID OF THE IDEA. so sorry. 
> 
> feel free to drop by my tumblr and say hi, too! 
> 
> e-and-r.tumblr.com


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